Week 4 brought the first or second tests for many playoff contenders. All but one -- sorry, Oklahoma State -- earned high marks.

Profiles are finally being built, and most teams in these rankings have at least one nice skin on their walls. Week 4 was mostly about road victories, from the undeniably impressive (TCU, Washington) to the extremely hard-fought (Penn State, USC) to the shaky (Oklahoma). Georgia, meanwhile, made it clear visitors won't be welcome between the hedges this season.

There's a definite drop-off after No. 12 and some shuffling at the bottom of the rankings. But the days of projections are over. Evidence is here.